Beneath the Façade
by McMahonHelmsleyEraFan
Summary: Hunter and Stephanie sign their divorce papers and go their separate ways. Until Hunter reveals it was all a part of his plan to punish her for faking a pregnancy. Quite literally, nothing that happened between them is as it seems.
1. She Will Understand

Vengeance: July 21, 2002

Stephanie eyed him as he juggled the pen between his fingers. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked softly, reaching out to touch his hand. If she could get just one wish, it would be that he would say he had made a terrible, terrible mistake and couldn't do it.

Hunter lifted his gaze to hers. "Yeah." _She doesn't understand now, but she will._ He was doing this for her – for them. One day, she would get it.

"Okay." She replied, desperately trying to ignore the pain in her chest as she watched him scribble the signature: the signature that would end their marriage of nearly 3 years.

Nothing about this seemed right. What was she supposed to do – just forget about everything that they had shared just because some shitty paper said it was over? That could never happen. She blinked back her tears as his hand stopped writing. Their marriage was ended on his side, she realized. He looked up at her. _Does he think I should be fucking jumping for joy that he signed and that I have no choice 'but' to sign?_ She shook her head slowly and reached across the table for the document, signed it hurriedly.

"It's for the best. You'll see that one day, Stephanie." Hunter told her, as she handed the documents over to the attorney.

She looked at him, shaking her head with disgust. This man was unbelievable. How the hell was ending their marriage for the best? Hadn't he ever heard of trying harder? What about counseling? How about a trial separation? Something! Hell, anything other than just giving up and divorcing her. She couldn't bring herself to say that to him, though. He had signed and so had she, therefore she lost the right to scream at him about how stupid he was being. "Whatever," she responded, not being able to think of anything else to say to him.

"Really, it is. Trust me." Hunter reassured her with a smile.

Suddenly she couldn't breathe. She could only listen to him drone on optimistically about how giving up was for the better for so long. It was bullshit. Complete bullshit, and her tolerance for it had run out. The need to get the hell out of her very own office and out of Hunter's presence overtook her, and she gave him one final glance, before turning around and walking out.

_Damn it! _She inwardly screamed. She wanted nothing more than to be in her private office alone, to cry in peace, until it was time for her to go to the ring to hear Hunter's decision on which show to be on. Hunter and the attorney were still in her damn office, she was on the verge of a breakdown, and now Eric Bischoff stood before her with that stupid grin. _Can my life get any worse? _Truthfully, she didn't want to know the answer to that.

"I can tell by the look on your face that things didn't go so well."

Stephanie forced her lips into a tight line and tried not to look so – crushed.

"Didn't get him signed, huh?" He questioned with a smirk.

She knew that he wasn't talking about the divorce papers. But, what the hell? It was his fault for being an asshole and for not being specific. "He signed." She said, and took slight satisfaction as Eric's face fell, before she walked off.

Eric had little time to seethe to himself, as Hunter came out. "What the hell did you just do?" Eric screamed, to which Hunter looked slightly confused. "You signed a contract with her?"

"Back off!" Hunter yelled.

"No, I'm not going to back off! We should still be negotiating!"

"Listen, you ass!" Hunter bit out, annoyed. "Those papers that I signed were my divorce papers! That's for my personal life. As far as business goes, I still haven't made up my mind." He told Eric with a snarl, before walking off.

Eric contained his smile until after Triple H had left. "He's mine. Just watch, he's mine." He told Coach.

Inside, he squealed with glee. He was alarmed at the clause that Hunter had made him add to his contract. Bischoff didn't have much of a choice, as Hunter had resolutely told him that if this clause wasn't added, there was no chance he'd ever sign with Raw. Eric tried offering him everything he could think of, but nothing worked, and he was forced to add the stipulation. Now, it seemed that his fear was misplaced, as Hunter had just divorced his wife.

Raw: September 30, 2002

Hunter grinned as he stared at his World Heavyweight championship belt. He had to admit, he was severely horrified when Brock Lesnar had taken the Undisputed Championship and ran off to Smackdown with it. His plan was totally ruined at that moment. What the hell was the point if he didn't have the title? No, he couldn't do that. He had been perfecting this plan ever since Bischoff and Stephanie were named as General Managers for their respective brands. _Eric is an idiot_, Hunter cackled to himself. The son of a bitch had played directly into his hands. What had made this all the more sweet was the fact that he had just - given him the title. No bleeding, no busting up his body, no fighting of any kind – he had just handed him the title. Eric would feel even dumber, at that fact.

He couldn't just jump ship while he had a challenge on the table. He wasn't a coward, and would be damned if he'd be labeled as such. That asshole Rob Van Dam had wanted a shot at his title, so he gave it to him. And of course, Hunter had won, proving that he was superior to the little prick. Then the next night on Raw, Bubba Ray Dudley had challenged him. Hunter felt like he was in the twilight zone when he was told about the match, then he realized that it was really going to happen. He had beaten Bubba, of course.

So here he was, staring at the very thing that would complete his plan and in some ways, his life. Now was the time. No one else had made an immediate challenge to his title, and he didn't want to give anyone the opportunity. He had wasted too much time already. Sure, Kane was supposed to face Jericho to see who would get a title shot at No Mercy, but what did he care? He had beaten all of the actual challengers, and now it was time to go.

He walked to the ramp as Kane and Jericho beat the crap out of each other. Both men stared, as the crowd went wild.

"You know, I almost feel bad. I mean, here you guys are, busting your ass to see who gets the Intercontinental title, and a shot at my World Heavyweight title…and well, I thought I'd stop the two of you, before things really get ugly." Hunter grinned at the look of confusion on both men's faces. "I've decided that I'm no longer a Raw superstar, you see. Me, and my title are going to Smackdown." He laughed. "I just thought I should inform you, before one of you really hurts the other." Hunter then dropped the microphone, and walked backstage, leaving everyone surprised and bewildered.

"Hey!" Eric Bischoff called. "Triple H!" He screamed. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't go to Smackdown – with Raw's title, no less! I signed you to an ironclad contract!" Eric reminded as he ran to catch up with Hunter.

Hunter smirked. It was the smirk that said he'd outsmarted someone, and they just hadn't come to grips with it. "That may be, Eric. Did you not add the stipulation that I asked for? I believe you did, as I, and my attorney read over it."

He blinked. Hunter hadn't given him any choice but to add it. He didn't see what his point was, though. That stipulation wouldn't do him any good. "What does that have to do with anything?" Eric asked.

"It's perfectly legal for me to go to Smackdown. With your title." Hunter explained slowly. "Why don't you read over my contract again, Eric? Read it carefully, then watch Smackdown this week." He said and then jumped into his limo.

It was definitely time to stop this. She was making out with Rikishi and lesbians at Unforgiven, Hunter seethed to himself. She was letting Kurt Angle suck up to her. That bastard had always been a thorn in his, and in his relationship's side. He refused to waste another week. God knows who would be trying to hook up with her.

She would be furious. She would demand to know what the fuck his problem was, as he was the one who asked for them to be over. She would say she gave him chances to take back his decision to have them sign their divorce papers. She would even say that he had been an ass, when he signed with Raw. That's what she would say. Hunter smiled. Stephanie was so predictable. That, or he just knew her too well. He figured it was most likely the latter. Everyone else seemed to be surprised at her moods, statements and actions from time to time. Not him. He sensed it, predicted it – operated off of what he knew would happen.

He thought about his last personal conversation with her. It was for the best, and he would make her see that very soon. Once she finished screaming at him, of course.


	2. Always Deeper Than What You Think

Hee! I updated quick. I had to, while the ideas were running rampant. I hope you all enjoy this one - let me know. As always, absolutely loving the feedback!

Beneath the Façade: Part 2

Hunter stepped out the limo and breathed in the Louisiana air. Smackdown would be held at the arena in Lafayette. The plane ride had all but tortured him, as the anxiety over seeing Stephanie again became almost too much to bear. He knew she would be expecting him. Stephanie was a businesswoman through and through, and would most definitely check out her competition, Raw, from week to week. Therefore, she had to know that he was jumping ship. She had to know he was coming to see her before the taping of Smackdown.

He wandered through the lobby of the hotel that he knew Vince would book the Smackdown superstars at. Then, he wandered up to the room that she would be in. At every hotel, it was the same number: 924. He took a deep breath before raising his hand, rapping his knuckles against the door. Waited patiently. She was worth it. Waited some more. Knocked again. Nervously shuffled from one foot to the other. Knocked again. Called her name while banging on the door. Sighed and walked back to the elevators, headed for the lobby.

"I need to get in Stephanie McMahon's room." He stated curtly to the young man at the desk.

"Triple H!" The guy squealed. "Oh my God, you are my favorite wrestler! Aren't you and Stephanie divorced, though?"

"No, that's just for television." Hunter said. "She's not in her room right now and we're rooming together."

"No problem, I'll give you a key. Can I ask you one favor, though?"

"Sure."

"Can I have your autograph?" The young man said, handing over a paper and pen.

Hunter scribbled his signature on the paper quickly, anxious to get the damn key already. He smiled when he received it, thanked the guy, and went back to Stephanie's room.

As he stood there, he assured himself that this was the best thing to do. It seemed like he was consistently hurting or pissing her off because he felt it was the best thing to do. He chuckled at the irony before opening her door. He searched the room for clues to where she could be. Eventually, he stumbled across a piece of paper that read:

Stephanie,

I'll be there to get you at 9. The party is free before 11 and it takes an hour to get there. Be ready, or else, girl.

Stacy

Hunter crumbled the piece of paper in his hand. _How dare she wander off to parties at all hours of the night! The audacity!_ He took a seat in the lounge chair in her master bedroom. He fully expected a damn explanation when she came back. _It's_ – he checked his watch – _2:30 in the damn morning already._

About 30 minutes later, loud giggling could be heard. He straightened his posture in the chair.

Stephanie's hotel door opened, and he saw her figure walk into the room. "See ya later, Stace!" She called, down the hallway.

She walked straight past him, without knowing it, turning on the lamp that was by her bedside.

"How nice of you to come back." Hunter said sarcastically.

"Holy shit!" Stephanie yelped and turned around. "What the fuck?" She yelled as she saw Hunter.

Hunter laughed at her expression. She looked absolutely petrified.

Stephanie touched her forehead. "I drank too much…" she muttered, shaking her head as she shut her eyes tightly. "Yeah, that's it. I drank way too much. It's been so long since I had liquor. It was too much, too soon." She nodded, her eyes still closed. "No one is in my room. Certainly not Hunter." She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, completely expecting him to not be sitting there.

"Convinced yet?" He smirked.

"Oh, God." She groaned, flopping down onto her back on the bed. "W-what are you doing here?" She asked, leaning on one elbow. "How did you even get in here?"

"To answer your last question; the guy at the front desk gave me a key cause I'm his favorite wrestler."

Stephanie made a mental note to talk to this stupid hotel's manager about their security. _Or whatever you call it. _She nodded. "So why are you here?"

"Well, had you not been out partying, you would know the answer to that." Hunter quipped.

"I - oh my God, Hunter!" She groaned. "You divorced me! I can do whatever the hell I please, thank you very much."

"Whatever! Anyway, had you been here to watch Raw, you would know that I'm no longer a superstar of it."

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Ha! Bischoff fired you?" She questioned.

"Quite the contrary. I'm jumping ship."

She laughed loudly. "You can't do that, Hunter. You're signed to Raw and the last time I checked, you were the champion, too. Bischoff will sue you for all you're worth."

He smirked. "He can't. It's legal. He can't do a damn thing to me."

Stephanie's brow arched, clearly intrigued. "How?"

Hunter smiled. "I had him add a special stipulation to my contract."

"What was it?" She asked, sitting up fully.

"If I'm married to someone on Smackdown, I can leave Raw whenever I want, regardless of my status." He grinned. He was clearly proud of himself.

Stephanie blinked for a few moments as she let what Hunter had just said, soak in. Wasn't it bad enough that he broke her heart? Now she had to suffer with him being on her show, married to someone else?

"You must really hate me." She whispered.

Hunter was confused. "What? Why would you say that?"

Stephanie laughed cynically. "Y-you leave me at our wedding renewals, you get me kicked out of the WWE, you divorce me, then you sign with Raw." She paused, to wipe the tears from her cheeks." To top it off, you have a special clause that says you can leave at any time, if you're married. So, y-you go off and get married just so you can come to my show, and throw it in my fucking face!" She bit out.

Hunter laughed loudly, shaking his head.

"Go ahead. Laugh it up, you fucking jerk! Big laugh!"

Hunter continued to laugh.

"You're pathetic, Hunter." She sucked in a breath. "You're a miserable excuse for a human being. Here I am, trying to get my life back on track after you abandon me, and you marry someone else so you can torture me every week, and then come to my room in the middle of the night…the only night since you divorced me, that I actually had a good time. You're sick. How do you get off on this shit? You're going to burn in hell. I hope you know that."

Hunter laughed for a few more minutes. When he finally composed himself, he said, "You are so off base, Stephanie."

"What the hell are you talking about? Why else would you do this to me?" She asked incredulously. "You. Hate. Me."

"I didn't marry another girl." He said, seriously.

A realization hit her and she gasped. "Oh. My. God. You gave up on women after me? I can't believe this." She muttered, feeling a migraine coming on.

"No!" Hunter yelled, pulling on his hair. "Damn you. No more drinking after tonight, Stephanie. You don't even understand even after I give you clues. We're still married."

Now, it was her turn to laugh. "And you think I'm being stupid?" She questioned, standing up. "Newsflash, Hunter: people aren't still married after they sign divorce papers." She told him. "It's not fair that one document ends it all, but that's what you wanted, and you got it. We're over."

"I signed the paper, yes." Hunter admitted.

She thumped him in the head. "No shit, Sherlock. I was there."

"Bet you didn't bother to check the signature…" he trailed off mysteriously.

Stephanie's mouth was open as she tried to form words. "I-you-w-what does that have to do with anything?"

Hunter didn't bother to answer her. Instead, he got up and walked over to his suitcase.

"Yeah, you just made yourself right at home!" She observed. "Will you be needing anything else?" She asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Just this." He said, pulling out a small packet of papers.

She wasn't even sure she wanted to know, but she'd ask anyway. "What's that?"

"Our divorce papers. Look at the signature page."

She sighed, taking the papers from him, rifling through each page. "This is sad, Hunter. Just pathetic!" She said. "You need to just move on. It's your damn fault we're divorced in the first place." She mumbled, finally finding the page she was looking for.

"At a loss for words?" He asked after a few moments.

"Betyou Didnt Readme?" She questioned, as that was what was written, where Hunter's signature should have been.

"Yep."

"That's not your name." She said matter-of-factly.

"Nope."

Stephanie rubbed her forehead, confused. "Why is that not your name?"

"Who the hell would name their child that?" He asked her.

She rolled her eyes. "No, no. I mean why didn't you sign your real name?" She asked, sitting down on the bed again.

Hunter sighed. "Because then we would be divorced."

She nodded. "Exactly."

"Why would I want to be divorced?"

"I don't know!" She said, annoyed. "You asked for it."

He nodded. "I know."

"I asked you repeatedly if you were sure." She pointed at him.

He nodded again. "I know."

"I know you know!"

"Glad to hear it." Hunter cackled.

Stephanie let out an anguished whine. She was tired of his games already. "Cut the bullshit, Hunter. Why did you let me think we were divorced?"

Hunter shrugged. "Punishment."

"I don't understand."

He sighed. "That doesn't surprise me."

She rolled her eyes. "So help me understand."

"In your current state, you need more than just help." He laughed at her. "I need to flat out tell you."

"Whatever works. Just get it out already."

"I let you think we were divorced to hurt you."

"That's pretty obvious."

"Let me finish."

"Fine."

"You lied to me about being pregnant, Stephanie. I was very hurt by that. You knew I wanted to be a father so badly, and you lied to me about it. I just wanted to hurt you back. I never wanted to actually divorce you…just give you a taste of some hurt."

Stephanie shook her head slowly, tears already streaming down her face.

"Why are you crying?" Hunter asked, his tone concerned as he reached out to wipe her tears away. He thought she'd be happy…or at least accepting of what he'd done in retaliation.

"You…" She cried. "You are the biggest asshole on the face of this Earth. You let me think you wanted me out of your life!" She shouted.

Hunter felt anger course through his veins now. How could she not see that she deserved what he'd done? "You lied to me first! It was just payback!"

"No it wasn't." She shook her head slowly.

"How was it not?"

"I never lied to you." She said softly.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I really was pregnant!"

Hunter felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. That couldn't be. "I saw the tape!" He said, shaking his head. She was lying. Again. After all that happened, she was still lying to him.

Stephanie laughed spitefully. "Not everything is as it seems, Hunter."

"Explain, then."

"Not that I owe you shit, but my mother paid that doctor to do that commercial. She wanted her little revenge or whatever."

"Did she have to take such drastic measures?" Hunter asked as he threw his arms in the air, his voice much louder now.

Stephanie shrugged. "She said she never meant for us to break up; she just wanted to cause problems."

"That's great! That's just fucking great! Linda apologizes and suddenly the world is okay again? Do you realize what she's done to me – to us?"

"Don't place all the blame on her! Don't you dare," she said lowly. "She may have toyed with a couple of things but it was you that decided to believe it."

"How could I not? The proof was there, Steph!"

"Just like the proof that we were divorced was here?" She asked, throwing the divorce papers at him.

Hunter fell silent.

"That's what I thought. There's always something going on that's deeper than what you think, Hunter." She stated wisely. "You could have talked to me." She bowed her head. "You could have come to me – asked me why I faked a pregnancy. I could have told you that I didn't, and that someone was screwing with us." She said regretfully. "But, you didn't. You'd rather throw a fucking fit, throw me on the ground and walk away from me."

Hunter shook his head. He wasn't about to take the blame for all of this. "No, Stephanie. You could have come to me later, and told me the truth. Instead, you would rather side with my enemy, Chris Jericho, and try to screw me and my career over!"

"I was pregnant!" She yelled.

"So what?" He yelled back at her.

"I was an emotional, hormonal mess! My husband had just left me on national TV, believing that I'd faked a pregnancy. You didn't answer my calls that night. I tried to tell you the truth." She confessed. "I tried – I did my part." She said, her voice not as broken as before. "I thought…" She paused to steady her voice. "I thought that if you still loved me, and wanted us to work, that eventually you would contact me…or" she shrugged "something."

Suddenly, it dawned on Hunter. "You're not pregnant," he cut in abruptly, staring at her stomach. "What happened to our baby?" He asked, fearing her answer, as she cast her eyes downward. "Stephanie." He said softly, grabbing her hand. "Tell me you didn't kill our baby." He pleaded.

She shook her head and the tears fell from her face and to the floor. "I didn't."

"Then what happened?" He asked her, desperately.

Stephanie lifted her gaze to his. Her eyes were a mixture of anger and hurt. "You did."


	3. Still So Predictable

Well I finished this around 3am but for some reason wouldn't let me upload it, the server kept timing out and I'm on a DSL connection...go figure. So eventually I decided to copy it and upload it as a notepad file and hey it worked! But yeah at some other boards they're all "that's it? I need to know what happens!" lol...I ended it this way to leave some mystery but it's really easy to infer what happens but also maybe someday even a sequel but don't quote me on that...Also, I've been working on a new fic, got chapter 1 done the story is tentatively titled "Entwined" so be on the lookout for that. Also, check my my one-shot called "Twisted"...it was a fun little story to write. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing this story! I was floored by all the reviews lol.

Beneath the Façade: Part 3

Hunter sucked in a huge breath. _I killed our child? _The concept seemed so completely foreign to him. He rubbed his forehead wearily. This night was so not going the way he planned. All of this was because he believed Stephanie to be the bad guy but it turned out that everything was pretty much his fault. He asked the only question he managed to form, "How?"

Stephanie laughed incredulously. "Think of how many times I was hit between the time I told you I was pregnant and the time you got me kicked out. Hell of a lot don't you think?"

Hunter shifted his gaze to the floor, mumbling out, "Yeah."

"I was barely 2 months pregnant when I told you…my body – our baby could only handle so much. I was under lots of emotional and mental stress; I was being pushed down, fallen on and knocked over. You name it and it probably happened to me!" She replied bitterly.

Stephanie had been kicked around several times and it had resulted in her losing her baby. She was a woman so no one should have laid a hand on her in the first place. Still, even though they had been the ones to physical abuse her, part of her knew that she had been selfish. Her hormonal rage at Hunter had blinded her, and she put her health on the line countless times. It resulted in her putting the baby's health at risk, as well but at that time she just wasn't thinking clearly and hadn't really stopped to think about her recklessness. She had been playing with fire and by the time she had decided to stop, she had been burned. That burn was her miscarriage.

Hunter looked up at her. His facial expression was tender. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."

She shook her head slowly, the tiniest of smiles crossing her lips. "I wasn't alone. My family knew."

Hunter nodded. One thing bothered him still. "Why did you continue being so involved in the business knowing you were pregnant?"

"What do you mean exactly?"

"You faced me in a match. Why would you do that if you were pregnant, Stephanie?"

Stephanie eyed him. Was he suggesting that she _meant _to have a miscarriage? She would never intentionally wrestle this man while pregnant. He was out of his damn mind. That, or he just thought very, very little of her. She took a deep breath before she completely lost her cool. It didn't help that she was kind of drunk. "By the time we had our match I had already lost the baby," she corrected him, pleased that she hadn't started yelling.

"So when did you…" He paused, trying to find the right words to say to her. "When did you uh – you know?"

"At No Way Out. Kurt tried to clothesline you and hit me instead and I flew over the ropes and such. You kicked Kurt into me later that night, as well."

Images of everything that happened that night flashed through his mind. "You weren't bleeding or anything after the match, though," Hunter recalled.

She nodded, giving a lazy smile. "Yeah, I thought things would be fine after the match. As I rode in the limo to my hotel I even promised myself I'd stop taking these risks. You know? I had been lucky up until that point. I woke up the next morning with a terrible pain in my stomach and there was blood everywhere. I knew I was losing the baby," she recalled distantly. "Shane rushed me to the hospital and they just confirmed what I already knew." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Stephanie closed her eyes as everything from that fateful morning came rushing back to her memory. She had woken up earlier than usual. Pretty much her entire body had ached but she was most concerned about one area. Her stomach. She had called her brother, Shane, telling him what was going on and he promised to be there as soon as he could. She had curled into a ball, crying softly as she rubbed her stomach, hoping that the soothing gesture would somehow make the pain go away. But, it didn't. A few minutes later, her soft cries had turned into loud sobs and ragged breaths. Soon, she felt a wet, sticky substance trickle down her legs. Completely panicked by this point, she whipped the covers from her body and was horrified by the blood. There was little she could do but lay there crying, hoping she and her baby could hold out until Shane got her some help.

It had taken Shane maybe ten minutes after she had called before he came banging on her hotel door. She staggered and stumbled her way to it, falling directly into his arms. The look on his face was one that she would never forget. He didn't have to say it, but she could tell that he was thinking the same thing that she was: she had lost the baby. He had carried his bloody baby sister to his rental car, ignoring or cursing at the people who dared to eyeball them. He had driven like a madman, getting her to the nearest hospital in less then fifteen minutes. He had kissed her cheek right before she was wheeled out of sight.

Sometime later, Stephanie had walked out into the waiting room with an unreadable expression. She noticed that her parents were now here, too. They must have been the ones who brought her some clean clothes. She said nothing; she just shook her head sadly and fell into the group hug. They had all shed some tears and in that moment her family was put back together again. It was just such a shame that a tragedy had to be the reason for everyone forgetting whatever grudges had been held against one another.

Quickly, Stephanie's eyes opened. _Get a fucking grip_, she told herself agitatedly. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's in the past," she said, her tone vacant of any emotion.

Hunter looked at her strangely. "Why do you do that, Steph?"

She arched her finely shaped eyebrow in confusion. "Do what?" She had no clue what the hell he was talking about.

"You like…start to open up and then all of a sudden you just shut down again."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "It's in the past, Hunter! I'm ready to move on. I have moved on! I was doing fine until you came here trying to stir up things that are over and done with!"

"Nothing that we've talked about is over and done with," he pointed out.

Her arms went up in exasperation. "Our marriage is over! Our baby is _dead_! Is there anything else that happened a lifetime ago that you'd like me to discuss?"

Stephanie knew she was being cruel right now but somehow she forced herself not to care. She couldn't show any vulnerability. Doing so had also left her open to emotional attacks. The end result was usually her getting hurt.

"Our marriage is not over," Hunter hissed lowly. "We're still married!" He said, raising his voice. He was tired of her shutting him out by speaking so harshly.

She scoffed. "Legally, maybe. It's over in every other way that matters," she mumbled.

He shook his head, replacing the annoyed, angry look with a softer one. "It isn't. I never wanted you out of my life…or my heart."

Stephanie held up her hand to silence him. She swallowed roughly. "You should have said that back then. Instead you opted to pretend we're divorced as your fucked up way of 'punishing' me. The most messed up part in all of that is that I didn't even do anything wrong! I didn't do a damn thing to you, Hunter! But you didn't even bother trying to find out what really happened. You just come up with this nonsense and 2 months later you just--you just--you…"she rubbed her temple "What _do _you want from me exactly?" She asked angrily.

"I'm sorry, Stephanie! How many times do I need to say that?"

She glared at him. "Until you mean it! Until I feel like you really, sincerely mean it."

Hunter stared at her intently. "And when will that be? How do I know what to say to you so that you believe me?"

"If you can't figure it out then you don't deserve my forgiveness."

"Do you have to be so cold?"

She challenged him right back, "Do you have to be such a selfish asshole?"

Hunter sighed. He just couldn't get through to her right now. Those defenses that she had when they first got together were right back up. He'd had a lot of fun working his way through each and every barrier that she had back then. Together they became stronger. He got the feeling that he wouldn't have "fun" anytime soon because this time she had a legitimate reason for shunning him. "I don't know what else I can say to make you believe me," he said softly with a dejected look.

"Funny. Now you know how I felt when I was pregnant." That was a low blow and she knew it. Hunter had hurt her so much in the past and it felt good to be able to hurt him right now. She saw that he was about to speak and quickly added, "Don't say you're sorry again! You're starting to sound like a broken record. You just keep repeating the same crap."

"Can we not do this? Not now," he said pitifully. His wounded ego could only handle so much verbal abuse from this woman.

"Why not? You're the one who was so desperate to bring up old events! As if talking about it all this time later changes anything."

"It may not change the events, Stephanie but it may lessen the pain," Hunter reasoned.

A small smile threatened to reveal itself and the creases in her brow loosened "Do you always have to be so damn rational?" She wondered.

Hunter shrugged. "It's natural, babe," he bragged, buffing his nails against his chest. At least she seemed to be less tense and the desire to rip his head off that he'd seen in her eyes was gone now. Definite improvement.

Stephanie laughed and shook her head. Hunter – her husband, was such entertainment at times.

He had to ask her now – before the fangs and claws made their presence known again. "So what do you think?" He asked, grabbing her hand. "Do you think we can give it another shot? I mean well technically we were never over but you know what I mean."

Stephanie chewed her bottom lip as she contemplated, focusing her gaze on their joined hands. They had _the_ most screwed up marriage. What other couple manipulated people – including the people they loved – in such ways? That, or just assuming that person had manipulated them, causing them to manipulate in false retaliation. It could be so confusing at times. Back when they were actually together, one minute they were all over each other and the next they were biting each other's head off. It was definitely a roller coaster. Stephanie had to admit that their relationship had always been…interesting, for lack of a better term.

"Steph?" Hunter questioned, waving his other hand in her face. "You still with me here?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and locked eyes with him. "Yeah, sorry.

"So what do you say?"

"Hunter I just – I don't know. All these revelations and secrets being revealed and the truth coming out and all that shit. I can't give you a straight answer right now."

He nodded slowly, giving the faintest smile. He would take whatever he could get at this point. The fact that she didn't blatantly deny him was a good sign. "I love you," he told her."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Despite everything that's happened I'd have to admit that I still love you, too."

Hunter hadn't expected her to actually attest to still loving him. That was a surprise. It was a pleasant one, but a surprise nonetheless. Now he was even more optimistic about the future.

Stephanie was a stubborn woman, though. Hunter would go as far to say she was even tricky with him when she wanted to be. He'd spent too much time fighting and arguing with her and he really didn't feel like waiting on baited breath for an answer as to when she would give their marriage another definite chance.

The wheels in Hunter's head turned and a look of pure devilment crossed his features. "Well what do you say to screwing over Bischoff? He can't exactly have a show without a heavyweight title. Lesnar took the original, and I've got the only other main title that exists," he reminded her nonchalantly.

They would have to at least stay married for Hunter to leave Raw with the title. In time, he would make Stephanie want to stay married for other reasons as well of course. If she said yes, that is. But when could she ever turn down an opportunity to stick it to Bischoff? That answer was simple: she absolutely could not.

It didn't really matter what the circumstances were. She would go to hell and back to get one over on her nemesis. Hunter smiled to himself. Despite everything that happened tonight, she was still his same Stephanie. She was so very predictable.

The same look of devilment crossed her features, as well.

No words were needed; Hunter knew what that mischievous look meant.

Fin


End file.
